The Copywriting Maven

What were they thinking department …

I’ve been swamped by client work, still mourning George Carlin, and decided to enjoy a few days off with the hubby and family), hence the extra days of silence from your favorite Maven. But, as in all things, life and grocery shopping continues on. And it was at the supermarket that hubby and I came upon an unfamiliar item in the Organic/Healthy/Soy-Tacular aisle.

It’s called Bragg’s Liquid Aminos. Now I don’t know about you, but at first read and glance, I’m thinking cleaner. Not hard to see why either. Here’s an image of Ajax scouring powder.

Yes, the Bragg’s label uses vegetables at the top but they’re obscured by the text. Speaking of text, I’m still thinking cleaner. All-natural could mean anything in today’s rush for eco-friendly everything. Even Clorox, the king of bleach,  has an all-natural line now (kudos to Clorox as I like the stuff and it works great.) Also, too, being of a certain age, I remember detergents that used aminos as a selling point for its super-duper cleaning ability.

Bragg’s people take note. The folks who know you, love you. But if you’re looking to get new folks to love you, your product has to look like something I want to put in my mouth, not pour on my dirty clothes.

Here’s another one I don’t get from the good folks at Nabisco.

Why is the “Garden Herb” text on a red banner? It should be green. It used to be green. Then when they introduced “Roasted Garlic”, they made that banner green and revised the Garden Herb in red.

Big mistake. Green = garden, veggies, earth, etc. (Bragg’s, are you still with me here?) Consumers, as all copywriters know, don’t really read. They scan, they “see” text first for meaning. I read “Garden Herb” but because it’s on a red banner, I don’t see it as herb. I see it as something else. Hot, spicy, peppery or maybe tomatoey. But herb? Nope.

This means I have to hunt more carefully for my favorite snack cracker because it doesn’t automatically pop out at me as before. This means some other company might get my attention first because they’re still using the color combination I and other consumers expect for out cracker fix.

As copywriters, our job is all about the words. But as marketing partners with our clients, we have a chance to broaden our influence on how our words are managed and their impact. Knowing how to speak knowledgeably about design issues is one way to ensure our meaning and the message don’t get lost.

So, by all means, pay attention at the supermarket. And please, read the labels before you eat - or clean - anything.

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• My favorite resource on landing pages - The ultimate guide to writing and designing effective landing pages - Marketing Sherpa’s Landing Page Handbook, 2008 (aff)

I’d let George Carlin ’splain it to you himself. Indecent but never obscene, George, you were an inspiration!

“There are no bad words. Bad thoughts. Bad intentions. And woooords.”

photo credit: apdk

This little missive managed to evade my usually efficient gmail spam filters. The only thing I’ve changed is the name.

hello
My name is jessy.
I saw your structure today
and became intrested in you, I shall like to know also you more, and
I want, that you have sent e-mail to my e-mail address, thus I can give you my
picture for you, that the nobility, whom I. Here - my e-mail address.

I believe, that we can move from here. I wait for your mail to my e-mail
address above. (Remeber the distance or color has no value, but
business of
love alot in
emma a life),
Please my
love sends you an
e-mail address to this my
e-mail
kiss and
love

She had me at “I saw your structure today.” Flattering? Vaguely dirty? Hard to tell. Here’s hoping someone you care about sees your structure today and sends you a note about “the business of love.”

• Enjoyed this post? Subscribe to The Copywriting Maven by email or RSS
• Need a copy critique or a consult? Contact the Maven
• My favorite resource on landing pages - The ultimate guide to writing and designing effective landing pages - Marketing Sherpa’s Landing Page Handbook, 2008 (aff)

photo credit: mmatins

In the April issue of Steve Harrison’s Book Marketing Update, there’s an article based on author John Kremer’s (1001 Ways to Market Your Book) thoughts on book titling. With so many of us involved in self-publishing POD and ebooks, I thought I’d synopsize the recommendations.

1. Make your title memorable, since 80% of books are sold by word-of-mouth.
2. Short titles are best, most successful titles are around 5 words. Add a subtitle to expand and/or illuminate the information about your book.
3. Numbers in titles can be very effective for non-fiction, just as they are when writing headline copy.
4. Include keywords for non-fiction titles. You want to put the main search terms for your subject in your title or subtitle, but don’t use terms that are too generic.
5. Try inventing or coining a word for your title, but strive for conceptual clarity rather than showing off how clever you are. (I coined ‘macromize” for a promotion I did for a book about um, Wordstar macros years ago. I still like it.
6. Try to think brandable - the Chicken Soup, Idiots and Dummies series represent genius-level book branding at its finest.
7. Don’t try to do too much with your title. Think brand, then add the specific audience you’re going after.

Lastly, try the Title Scorer at Lulu.com … it’s free! Created by stat techs based on 50 years of research on the commonalities of best-seller book titles, it’s a nifty way to get some useful feedback on titles-in-progress. (Originally developed for novelists, us less arty, more non-fiction types can still have fun.)

Of course, there are popular exceptions to just about every one of these tips, but knowing the rules before you creatively break ‘em could be a smart move, no matter how you title the result.

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• Need a copy critique or a consult? Contact the Maven
• My favorite resource on landing pages - The ultimate guide to writing and designing effective landing pages - Marketing Sherpa’s Landing Page Handbook, 2008 (aff)

photo credit: ©aius

One of the hardest jobs I have as a direct marketing copywriter/consultant is to get my clients to test variables in their promotions. Test headlines, offers, lists, color, etc. With smaller clients I urge them to test single variables where the difference to their response/bottom line will be the biggest. Larger clients can afford the luxury of sophisticated multi-variate approaches to their campaigns.

So here’s my segue to today’s interesting article from Target Marketing. Brian Kurtz, leading marketing genius at the power publishing house, Boardroom, Inc., shares his thoughts on testing here. Good stuff and I’m sharing it with you!

Brian Kurtz on DM Testing in Hard Times

Got a testing story to share? By all means, let’s hear about it.

• Enjoyed this post? Subscribe to The Copywriting Maven by email or RSS
• Need a copy critique or a consult? Contact the Maven
• My favorite resource on landing pages - The ultimate guide to writing and designing effective landing pages - Marketing Sherpa’s Landing Page Handbook, 2008 (aff)